I am sure others will add to the list. However, here are a few things to get the discussion started.

1. Never ask your sleeves or trouser hems to be shortened or lengthened by 1-2 mm. Even 3-4 mm is pushing the friendship. These amounts are not significant, and if you shift or move a little, it will change. If you noticed a difference after your tailor cringed and agreed to do it for you, it is probably imaginary.

2. Totally change your mind about the design you ordered at the first fitting. Then completely change your mind again at the second fitting. There are things you can change at the first fitting though eg lapel design can be finalised, coat lengthened or shortened, waist suppression added or removed. The more you progress along, the harder it gets to change things. Would you tell your builder to change the design of your house after it is half way done so things have to be undone and redone? - and expect it all to be done for free?

3. Wait until the garment is finished before complaining that something feels tight/uncomfortable or that you are unhappy about some design feature. Speak out at the fitting!

4. Lecture your tailor about how to cut and tailor after reading a thread or two in this or any other forum/blog

Unless you're prepared to supply a large tray of food, sweets and drinks to the cutters, seamstresses and pressers, stay out of the workrooms. When artisans are hard at work, breaking their concentration is an annoyance.

Straighten your back and puff out your chest whilst being measured, fitted or stood in front of a mirror. If you want to be a peacock do it at home.

Sator, If they want their trousers lengthened by 1 or 2 mm, take them in the workroom, put them on the suction table, iron on the bottoms - pull the waistband and hey presto your trousers will be 1 - 2mm longer. (not for long though)works every time.For really annoying customers that are a total pain, sew a tiny bit of canvas in the crutch of their trousers.

Straighten your back and puff out your chest whilst being measured, fitted or stood in front of a mirror. If you want to be a peacock do it at home.

I read in a tailoring book (perhaps one suggested in this forum) that clients should not be placed in front of a mirror precisely because their posture will not be natural. Maybe I'm a little generous because I would be a client, but a self-conscious person might be inclined overcompensate. It would take a truly self-accepting and fatuous person to stand in front of a mirror while being measured by a stranger with the attitude, "This is the real me. It doesn't get better than this."

I had one of my first clients proceed to lecture me about how the armscye was not deep enough. No explanation or demonstration would convince him otherwise. I ended up cutting it probably 2 inches too deep just to make him happy and get rid of him.

This is from the 70s. A customer came into the shop for a fitting on his trousers, he took them in the changing room to change, after a while he came out without the trousers, when asked where they were he said "they are finished, no good". So we went into the fitting room and found the trousers on the floor full of mess. He was made to pay for them and told that's the most expensive crap you will ever have, and ejected from the premises.

Did we have showing up in a pullover/ sweater with nothing underneath but a flabby belly? And a sweaty one at that?

"Nur der ist Meister seiner Kunst, der immer sucht, das Gute zu verbessern und niemals glaubt, das Beste schon zu haben.""Only he is a master of his art who always seeks to improve the good and never believes to have the best already"

this ever happend to you ?geezer letting them down and showing their privates ?nay ?

I had a couple of guys in worn out underwear, does that count? Not to forget those lovely "Zitronenfalter" (brimstone butterfly) at the front.

tailleuse and jeffrey2117 like this

"Nur der ist Meister seiner Kunst, der immer sucht, das Gute zu verbessern und niemals glaubt, das Beste schon zu haben.""Only he is a master of his art who always seeks to improve the good and never believes to have the best already"